baked pasta

Morning when I am working in the kitchen, I make a mental note that I am out of maida, mustard seeds, urad dal and basmati. I’ve used the last onion but still 3 more days before the weekend when I usually stock up on veggies. I need to clean the oven and take stock of the top shelf. I have a number of once used sauces, yeast and spices that I am afraid may have morphed into something else altogether. I am doing poojai and I realize I need to take down all the frames and give them a good wipe down one of these days. I go to the bathroom. No, I don’t think I should get liposuction done. I’ve once again forgot to bring the new soap in. There is only a small sliver of the soap left and it looks strangely the same size as yesterday. What did Hasini and Yuvan use to bathe earlier? Did they? I have to enquire about this later. I also need to bring that new soap. I make do with the razor like soap for today. I come back from work late. I resolve to leave earlier in future. In bed, I scroll through about 27 videos of stretchy cheese on Instagram and feel my eyes getting hot. I put away the phone. I should be reading. I pick up the book I’ve been reading for 6 months. I want to go to the bathroom. I feel lazy. I decide to go after I finish the chapter. I fall asleep in 5 minutes. I didn’t finish the chapter, so I didn’t go to the bathroom. I wake up late. I wake into my onion-less kitchen. I make a mental note that I am out of maida, mustard seeds, urad dal and basmati. I need to clean the oven and take stock of the top shelf. I have tons of things to do. I am nowhere near. I need time off to simply catch up. I don’t really believe I can be caught up with everything but I believe I can and should get better. Do you guys have any tips for me? How do you guys manage? I’d love to hear your tips and how you catch up with life. Please share in the comments. One of the few things I manage to catch up with is food. I made... Continue reading →

One of the running themes on my blog apart from my fixation with tamil cinema, joint-family drama, maamiyaar stories, good food and good eating are my ‘weight-loss’ attempts. But this time I have decided to get down to business, to cut to the second half of the film, to get to the chase. Last weekend Hasini and I got on the merry-go-round at the beach, the mini-version of the giant wheel that has the cradle like hanging seats (the one that Kaipulla sits in in “Winner”). What was I thinking? At the beach and without the extended family around (by extended family, I mean the maamiyaar/mother-in-law) I fancy myself a little girl too. I help Jagan dig pits to get to wet sand, stuff myself with masala kadalai, bajji and ice cream and then when Hasini pleads to get on the vertical merry-go-round, I join her. The merry-go-round guy eggs me on “Vaanga vanga, neenga kuda varalam” (You can get on it too). For a moment, I forget that I am notoriously woozy headed, that I am overweight, that the poor fellow might break his arm. But up we go, and every time he has to let people get on or off the wheel, he has to keep us up. He grunts, exerts his full strength and then realizes it is beyond him, shouts out to his friends for help. I expect his entire kuppam to come running, but a slender little teenager steps in from the neighbouring merry-go-round to give him a hand. When I finally get down, I vow to return a fit and svelte mom. It may be months before I bite into chocolate, lick mousse cups clean, eat biryani and bajji, order ghee roast or slurp basundhi. Now before I go on a diet, a diet that defies all things that I believe in life (and my belief in life can be summarized in two words “eating well”) I want one last cheesy, gooey fling. I want to go crazy. I make an over the top macaroni and cheese (courtesy: Food52), chock full of all my favourites – roasted cauliflower, sweet corn and chicken, all stirred into the most luscious béchamel sauce and loaded with grated cheddar, topped with breadcrumbs and baked to cheesy bubbly perfection. Amen! Prep time: 20 mins (does not include cooking chicken, roasting/blanching vegetables)Cooking time: 40 minsServes: 5-6 Ingredients Macaroni –... Continue reading →

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Welcome to Foodbetterbegood!
I am Jayanthi. I love to cook. I am the one who lingers on at a function to have a word with the caterer to ask him for the vathal kuzhambu recipe. I amass recipes and I covet my knives.
I love a good story. I believe everyone does. If you love stories, if you love good food, you are at the right place.
You’ll see snatches of my writing, my DIY attempts and antique love in this space. You’ll see good food and simple recipes and plenty of stories. Foodbetterbegood is my diary.